67
I suddenly fix my eyes on you. Gasp: “Amazing, amazing!! You look like an evil angel with your pitch black exterior and red eyes!”
Angel ostane tiho.
“Behold, the cruelty of time!” I make a symmetrical gesture with both hands, and an immaterial moving image comes into view: it is Julija chopping up a pig with her longsword. She cuts off one of its legs, and it squeals. She cuts off its second leg, and it squeals. She cuts off its third leg, and it squeals. She cuts off its last leg, and it squeals. She starts hitting its lower half, and it squeals and squeals until it cannot squeal anymore – because what Julija is hitting now is not a swine no more: it’s a mush of blood and flesh. – The coldness and indifference of time! It was nowing so long, it nullified the poor swine.
…
Now that someone or something granted you a shiny, exquisite new form, why don’t you make an observation worthy of it?”
Symmetry Stranger opaža, da Julija in zgradbe niso moje maske, temveč nekaj, skozi kar prihajam na plan; da Utrdba ni moj zapor, temveč prostor, kjer Neznana Oseba biva v svoji nerazredčeni obliki.
68
“Void angel, void angel! What shall we do next, void angel? Would you like to take me somewhere?”
Angel praznine me povede v plast med simetrijo mojega kvadratnega jezera in nad njim lebdečo zavrnitev Rdeče trdnjave (prazninski angel namreč še vedno krčevito vztraja, da me je Trdnjava ocenila in zavrnila). Med hojo moja duša za seboj vleče luč, ki utripa kakor umirajoča in obenem nepopustljiva zvezda. Tu ni niti Trdnjave, niti Utrdbe, niti Julije. Njegovo vprašanje: “Ali še vedno veš, kdo si?”
Moj odgovor: “I, the unnamed one … I have never told you my name. Probably because it is of no consequence.” I sigh, sit on the ground, and fold my arms, staring drowsily in front of me. “I am so tired. So very tired.” I lay my head on my knees. “I wonder how much more …” I stop abruptly. I lie on the ground and fall asleep.
Angel praznine se ne premakne; njegovi podaniki po njegovih besedah ne bodo kalili miru.